Our choices = our lives ...
Will Smith says he became an A-list Hollywood movie star through a simple statement.
(Here is the second installment in a two-part series on “discipline.”)
A quick review: Last week, we came up with a working definition for the word “discipline”:
What do I need to DO today to become the person I want to BE tomorrow?
So before we can become disciplined in any area, we must decide: What kind of person do I want to be?
If I want to BE a person who excels at school tomorrow, then it’s clear what I need to DO today. It will take disciplined-driven behavior to lead me toward that pursuit. And disciplined-driven behavior always involves three elements:
•It’s intentional — I know WHAT to do:
“I will pay attention in class, do my homework, and talk to my teacher if I’m struggling to understand a concept.”
•It’s purposeful — I know WHY I’m doing it:
“I want to become a person who graduates from high school with honors and I want to attend college.”
•It’s skillful — I know how to do it:
“My teacher gave me a progressive plan of study. Now I need to follow through on it by following specific steps.”
Yet KNOWING what to do is much different from DOING it.
As we understand all too well, there are hundreds of choices we can make each day. If we don’t decide how to best use our time, someone else will do it for us.
We can live with discipline. Or we can live by default.
Both are learned.
Both are trained.
One will take us where we want to go.
The other won’t.
One leads to freedom.
The other leads to disappointment and regret.
Most of us don’t get up in the morning, leap out of bed and say, “I can’t wait to be mediocre today!” I doubt that even the lowest performers at your workplace or on your athletic team really choose that.
It’s simply the absence of discipline. Some might call it “drifting” without direction.
Discipline, on the other hand, is the intentional, daily process of getting better at your life.
And achieving excellence is the result of making simple daily choices with elite discipline.
Here’s what I mean. Tomorrow, you and I will have dozens of choices hurling at us from the moment our alarm goes off.
•Sleep in or rise up.
•Donut or healthier breakfast.
•Cigarette or carrot stick.
•Reading a great book or randomly scrolling through social media.
•Video games or working on my game.
Our choices = Our lives.
I’ve seen it over and over again through the years. The most disciplined athletes have the greatest careers. The most disciplined people have the highest quality of life.
It stinks, but here’s the truth even those folks deal with, and so do we: All growth is small, slow, and daily. Let me say that again, because I think this is the stop where most of us jump off the Discipline Bus.
All growth is small, slow, and daily.
There are no tricks. There are no hacks. There is no magic pill. All the YouTube ads that promise we can “lose 10 pounds in just five minutes” are a load of crap.
And here’s another truth you can count on: You WILL NOT be the same person next week as you are today.
You MIGHT shoot a little bit better.
You MIGHT be a little bit lighter.
You MIGHT be a little bit closer to that promotion.
You MIGHT understand algebra a little more.
Or not.
Remember, your efforts might not move the needle as quickly as you’d like. But they WILL move it.
“I feel very strongly,” says actor Will Smith, “that we are who we choose to be.”
Pastor, author and speaker Andy Stanley shares a similar thought.
“Every decision you make becomes a permanent part of your story. Write a story worth telling.”
I’ll speak from firsthand experience here. The second hardest decision you will ever make is to start a disciplined pursuit.
Hmm. OK.
So what’s the hardest decision?
To keep going.
(Tim Kolodziej is the author of this piece and founder of EnspireU.com. When he’s not behind a laptop, he can be found inside a gym helping young athletes create their own unique future — one rep at a time. Click here to connect with him by email.)